Life-saving guard for cars



2 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

(No Model.)

G. MAURO & F. RENZO. LIFE SAVING GUARD FOR CARS.

No. 538,961. Patented Feb. 12, 1895.

7 (N6 Moiiel.) v I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. MAURO & F. RENZO. LIFE SAVING "GUARD FOR GARS.

No. 533,961. 5 j Patented Feb. 12, 1895.

M was fif xmmwo'v Mum A7. WM 941mm; AMP 7?fmmw UNITED I STATES PATENTOFF CE."

GIOVANNI MAURO AND FRANCESCO RENZO, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

LIFE-SAVING GUARD FOR CARS.

SPECIFTCA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,961, datedFebruary 12, 1 895. Application filled November 5, 1894. Serial No.527,881, (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, GIOVANNI MAURO, a subject of the King of Italy, andFRANCESCO RENZO, a citizen of the United States, both residing atPaterson, Passaic county, New J ersey, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Life-Saving Guards for Cars, of which the following is aspecification. v

The object'ofthis invention'is to provide a car used for thetransportation of either merchandise or passengers and which ispropelled by steam, electricity or other power, with a guard which, willpick up and carry any person or object which the moving car mayencounter during its progress, and hold said person or object until thecar can be brought to a standstill without serious injury to the personso picked up.

It is also part of the object of our invention to so arrange the guardthat it can be carried in various positions and at various distancesabove the track and so that it may be removed from one end ofthe car tothe other when required.

The device is constructed and arranged so that when it comes in contactwith a person or object the weight of the person or object falling intothe net work apron operates a toothed lever releasing it from engagementwith a stationary and fixed plate secured to i the front of the car andsprings mounted on bars under the guard then operate to elevate theguard as much as the weight of the person.

car and guard showing the guard in its raised Fig.3, is a side elevationpartly in position. section showing an enlarged detailed view of aportion ofthe operating mechanism. Fig. 4, is a front elevation of theguard parts being omitted. Fig. 5, is a plan view parts being omitted.

The outer frame of the guard is composed of the side bars -F and thefront bar '-F--, the side bars being bent as shown in Figs. 1 and 20fthe drawings. Gross bars G and G4 pass through theside bars --Fconnecting them and are secured therein by'a screw nut or in any othersuitable manner. A wire netting H'- connects the side bars F and thecross bars G and G On the front bar -'-F-, which, as shown in thedrawings, is integral with the side bars F, is suitably secured a rubbertube --K of any dimension required. The object of this rubber tubemounted on the front bar F is to avoid the injuries apt to be A furthercross rod -J- extends fronl one side of the frame to the other and issuitably secured thereto. 1

The'upper ends of the side bars F are pivotally secured to a block, beamor other suitable fastening -C.

The block or cross bar O is suitably secured to the car front -L-.

On the ends of the cross bar G- are securely fixed the disks or platesB. Each disk or plate -B is provided with one or more recesses B andwith any required number of ratchet teeth -B A toothed lever D ispivotally secured to each of the side bars F by a bolt D at a pointtherein so as to enable the lugs D and D of the lever D- to engage'therecesses B and the ratchet teeth 13% respectively of the disk plate '-Bwhen required. A cross bar D is made integral with and forms a part ofthe toothed levers '-D and crosses theguard between the sides thereof. Anetting made of rope or any other suitable materials connects the leverbar --D'- and the cross bars 'J'- as indicated in the drawings -J. Thebar J also passes through the lugs J Curved bars G are secured to thesides of the guard -A and extend from beneath the guard toward-the carfront, passing through the guides -G which maybe secured-to the car inany appropriate manner where required. Around said bars -G- is placed ahelical spring -G the tension of which is sufficient to elevate theguard when the lugs on the lever D are removed from engagement with thedisk B.

A spring E connects the lower end of the lever D- and the side bar F-,E'- and -E being holes in the lever and side of frame respectively towhich the ends of the spring are secured,

O- is the square end of' cross bar C which passes through the squareholes-43 in the disk plate B, and -C is a block or other suitablefastener.

The drawings correctly represent the principle involved in my inventionbut the recesses -D- and the ratchet teeth B with which the disk plate-B- is provided may be located in such a manner that the guard A whenlowered may be as close to the rails on which the car moves, as isdesired; and in the same manner the height to which the guard may beelevated can be regulated.

The spiral spring E- has a tendency to keep the lug -D engaged with therecess -B When a person or an object is struck by a moving car which isprovided with our life saving guard it operates as follows: The part ofthe guard which first comes in contact with a person is the rubber tube-K which forms an elastic yielding cushion which is not apt to injurethe person struck. The force of the collision throws the person or tipshim into the net J, the guard being down as shown in Fig.1. The nettingJ extending from the cross bar J to the cross lever bar D, the weight ofthe person in the netting J draws the lug D of the lever -D out of therecess B' in the disk plate B- and the lug thus being withdrawn thehelical spring G forces the guard --A- as high as the weight of theperson in the netting J will permit it to go, at which point orelevation the lug D is forced to engage with some one of the ratchetteeth B*, as shown in Fig. 2, and the guard will then remain in thatposition until the person or object struck is safely removed therefrom.

Our guard may be of such a size that the length of the netting --J willprevent the person being picked up by the guard from coming in contactwith anything except the tubular cushion -K and the netting --J and thedanger to the life or limb of the person picked up is thus reduced to aminimum.

\Vith this description of our invention, what we claim-is- 1. In a lifesaving guard for cars the com' bination with the car having a cross barsecured to the front thereof of a guard pivotally secured to the ends ofsaid cross bar, a disk plate provided with a recess and a number ofratchet teeth securely fixed to the ends of said cross bar, a lever barhaving two arms made integral therewith each arm being pivotally securedto one side of the guard frame and provided with lugs adapted to engagewith the recesses and ratchet teeth in the respective disk plates, aspring connecting the lower end of each lever arm to a side of the guardframe and adapted to hold alug on the lever arm in a recess of the diskplate and a netting J extending from the lower front portion of theguard to the upper portion thereof and connected with the cross leverbar, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a life saving guard for cars the combination with the car having across bar secured to the front thereof of a guard pivotally secured tothe ends of said cross bar, a tubular rubber cushion secured to thelower front edge of said guard, a disk plate provided with a recess anda number of ratchet teeth securely fixed to the ends of said cross bar,a lever bar having two arms made intogral therewith, each arm beingpivotally secured to one side of the guard frame and provided with lugsadapted to engage with the recesses and ratchet teeth in the respectivedisk plates, a spring connecting the lower end of each lever arm to aside of the guard frame and adapted to hold a lug on the lever arm in arecess of the disk plate and a netting J- extending from the lower frontportion of the guard to the upper portion thereof and connected with thecross lever bar, substantially as shown and described and for thepurposes specified.

3. In a life saving guard for cars the combination with the car having across bar so cured to the front thereof of a guard pivotally secured tothe ends of said cross bar, a

tubular rubber cushion secured to the lower front edge of said guard,curved bars'secnred to the guard frame beneath the same said bars beingcurved toward the car, a helical spring secured to and around saidcurved bars, bar guides secured to the car and provided with openingsadapted to permit the lower ends of the curved bars to move through thesame, a disk plate provided with a recess and a number of ratchet teethsecurely fixed to each end of said crossbar, alever bar having two armsmade integral therewith, each arm being pivotally secured to one side ofthe guard frame and provided with lugs adapted to engage with therecesses and ratchet teeth in the respective disk plates, a springconnecting the lower end of each lever arm to a side of the guard frameand adapted to hold a lug on the lever arm in a recess of the disk plateand a'netting --J extending from the lower front portion of the guard tothe upper portion thereof and connected with the cross lever bar,substantially as shown and described.

4. In a life saving guard for cars, the combination with the car, havinga cross bar secured to the front thereof, of a guard pivotally securedto the ends of said cross bar, a tubular rubber cushion secured to thelower frontedge of said guard, curved bars secured to the guard frame,beneath the same, said bars being curved toward the car, a helicalspring secured to and around said curved bars, bar guides secured to thecar and provided with openings adapted to permit the lower ends of thecurved bars to move through the same, a disk plate provided with arecess and a numberof ratchet teeth securely fixed to eachend of saidcross bar, a lever bar having two arms made integral therewith each armbeingpivotally secured to one side of the guard frame and provided withlugs adapted toengage with the recesses and ratchet teeth in therespective disk plates, aspring connecting the lower end of each leverarm to a side of the guard frame and adapted to hold a lug on the leverarm in a recess of the disk plate, a netting J extending from the lowerfront portion of the guard to the upper portion thereof and connectedwith the cross lever bar,-cross bars G and G connecting the sides ofguard frame and wire netting extending from rod G to rod G substantiallyas shown and described and for the purposes specified.

GIOVANNI MAURO; FRANCESCO RENZO.

\Vitnesses: V

FRANK P. ROMANO, VINGENZO PEPE.

